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Saturday, March 9

Making Progress Towards My 2024 Goals - February Update

Here's how I did in February...

Financial

A new goal this year is to invest 40% of my gross income from meeting work - 30% to index funds and 10% to something more aggressive.  I remain on track in Month 2.

In February, I earned $9,102* from meeting work.  I transferred $3,750 (41% of meeting income) to my brokerage accounts. I purchased a 3 month term CD for the 30%.  The "more aggressive" investment has not yet been deployed.  

I am shifting to a more liquid investment (the CD) for now due to the performance of my real estate syndications and the likely need to add cash to those deals.  A few of the deals I invested in are new construction, and those construction loans have to be replaced by standard loans as the debt matures.  One deal I am particularly optimistic about is a development that was just completed in Columbus, OH.  The sponsors announced that a capital call is forthcoming to cover interest expense until the lease-up is complete.  Basically, the buildings are complete, but it takes time to fill them with tenants.  Interest rates are higher today than they were when construction began, so the project requires more cash to pay interest until things stabilize.  I'm willing to fund this shortfall because I am optimistic about the project long-term.

*This will not match what I report in my income blog.  I earned $9,102, but received less than that as payments aren't always received in the month the work was performed.

Health

I'm doing well meeting my exercise goals.  Last week I worked an event in Chicago for 8 days.  I visited the fitness center 5 of those days.  I also exceeded 10,000 steps on 5 days.  Unfortunately I made some mistakes on my diet.  I ate dessert twice and had carbs in the form of french fries, sandwiches and breaded fish multiple times.  There were some stressful personal events going on last week and I always use food as a coping mechanism.  Bad habit, no excuses.

Simplify

I worked so much last month that I was barely home.  I plan to add more to the donation box in March.

Have Fun, on a Budget

I want to limit the fun budget to $5,000 in 2024.  I didn't purchase any travel in February.  The fun budget was limited to our AMC A-List subscriptions and the purchase of some Kava-based drink powders.



Wednesday, March 6

My Frugal Miser - February 2024 Income

February was a strong earnings month.  I worked meetings 22 out of 29 days.  Rental income was lower than expected.  I received rent from only one of my Alabama rental properties.  I also received one distribution from Realty Mogul and the small monthly distribution from Open Door Capital.  I received an unexpected windfall in the form of a $492 check from a class action settlement involving my brokerage account.

Open Door continues to pay interest on the promissory note as promised. 

February Income: $14,501

$9,428 Meeting Jobs
$6 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$0 Amazon Deliveries
$2,196 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $359)
$2,345 Interest Income
$526 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  $1,557

My investments were up in February.

Saturday, March 2

My Frugal Miser - February 2024 Expenses

 February was a decent month.  

  • I paid the annual fee for my Self-Directed IRA.
  • We worked an event in Orlando for the staffing company that introduced me to this industry.  It normally doesn't cover hotel rooms, so we paid out of pocket for it.
  • Miscellaneous was income this month as I received proceeds from selling the Bruno Mars tickets.  My speculative purchase of these tickets resulted in a major loss.

Fun

We love adventures.  Spending on experiences makes us better humans.  
  • No vacations were planned.

February Expenses:  $2,892

$77 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)
$895 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$267 Clothing/ Personal Care
$220 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)
$558 Food
$13 Health and Dental
$30 Household/Home Repairs
$267 Unreimbursed Job Expense
$350 Reimbursed Job Expense
$0 Interest Expense
($265) Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts) income this month
$425 Taxes
$199 Utilities 

Saturday, February 17

Making Progress Towards My 2024 Goals - January Update

January was a super busy month, yet I found time to work on my goals for this year.  To keep myself accountable, here's an update:

Financial

A new goal this year is to invest 40% of my gross income from meeting work - 30% to index funds and 10% to something more aggressive.  I'm on track in Month 1.

In January, I earned $8,126* from meeting work.  I transferred $3,850 to my brokerage accounts.  As a bonus (not part of this particular goal), I also made a $1,000 contribution to my ROTH IRA.  I chose the Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund (VTWAX) for the 30%.  The "more aggressive" investment was a PUT option against Beyond Meat (BYND) that expires in January 2025.

*This will not match what I report in my income blog.  I earned $8,126, but received less than that as payments aren't always received in the month the work was performed.

Health

I want to lose weight and exercise 5x/week this year.  I've lost a few pounds and I met my exercise goal in January.

Simplify

This one is all about getting rid of things I don't use.  I found out both Amazon and Microsoft have a program where you can sell back your used electronics.  For me, this isn't about maximizing what I make from my old stuff.  It's about getting rid of things without hassle.  I sold 5 old items to Amazon (I received $22 as an Amazon gift card - pitiful but effortless).  I also sent off two Surface Pro 3 tablets and a Samsung S9 phone to Microsoft.  I just sent those and am waiting for the trade to be approved, but I should receive about 1/3 what I paid for the tablets when I bought them used.  I'll receive $58 for the three devices if they are approved.

I also added 6 pieces of clothing, a couple books, a lamp and a few miscellaneous items to the donation box.  I trashed our 10 year old Roomba and a second robot vacuum and replaced them with a new one.  I also trashed a worn out pair of shoes and broken solar charger.

Lastly, I simplified my finances just a tad.  The authorized user fee for my AMEX was $195/year, so I canceled that card.

Have Fun, on a Budget

I want to limit the fun budget to $5,000 in 2024.  In January, we drastically cut down on alcohol consumption.  We took a 2 night cruise on Margaritaville at Sea, but it was paid for in December.  I didn't book any other getaways, so the fun budget was barely touched last month.

I'm off to a promising start.  Of all these goals, losing weight will be the toughest.  It's ridiculously hard for me to stick to a diet.  Food is my addiction, yet I can't live without it.